Tag Archives: Stampede 66

We love our fried chicken, and have been seeking out the very best Dallas has to offer. We scoured the streets and found some with an ethnic twist, others are straight forward crispy fried and juicy.

We had to eliminate a few that didn’t qualify as traditional, such as Bon Mua’s fried Cornish hen, which is still worth making the drive to Carrollton. In making our list we were shocked at how many plates of fried chicken we had sampled over the past months. Col Sanders would have said he was too drunk to taste that chicken after just a few of these places.

A true bowl of Texas red is near and dear to me, and I am always willing to order a bowl if found on any menu I stumble across. I am pleased to report that there are more chili offerings this year than last, and many have upped the ante in developing a perfect bowl. With temperatures dipping into below freezing ranges in the coming days, what a perfect opportunity to go out and taste a bowl for yourself. We have a list of some of the best in Dallas area to celebrate National Chili Day.

This Halloween, put the kids to bed, grab your broomstick, and celebrate All Hallows’ Eve with Stampede 66 and Lakewood Brewing Co. at Fiesta de la Vida. As the official kickoff event for North Texas Beer Week, Fiesta de la Vida begins the 10-day local celebration of craft beer.

Admission includes a souvenir glass as well as five beer and food pairings with special, limited release beers. At midnight there will be a cask tapping of Lakewood Brewing Co.’s popular, seasonal Temptress Mole. Stampede 66’s modern ranch house in the heart of Uptown will be transformed into a neighborhood for trick or treating with a twist. Each pairing will be located at a different “house” in the neighborhood along with a dessert room with unlimited candy. Continue reading →

Eaten a gulf oyster recently? Where, in the thousands of square miles that constitute the Gulf of Mexico, did it come from? You probably were not told. The person who sold it to you probably did not know. I never considered it mattered before.

It turns out it does. Where in the gulf an oyster grew up affects its size and taste. If we know where oysters come from, we can choose between them based on quality, or size, or flavor profile. If we choose oysters from particular locations then oystermen will know what types to harvest. Continue reading →

There are few restaurants in the Dallas area that speak to its Texas roots as Stephan Pyle’s restaurant Stampede 66 located in its sprawling digs as big as Texas itself in the tony base of the Park 17 on the southern most cusp of Uptown. Here you will witness a sultry West Texas big sky as you dine on refined vittles under the moonlit caricature Pyles has created. Nothing is business as usual in the Pyles world; instead things are larger than life as honorably displayed on large platters of fried chicken oozing honey, or v-shelved tacos filled with rich and meaty brisket or delicately fried Gulf oysters.

Stampede is where locals and tourists alike get to play JR Ewing to a fanciful version of chicken fried steak. Executive Chef Jon Thompson calls this menu “Modern Texan, but we call it dinner. Things are kicked up a few levels at Stampede as evidenced by the shrimp and grits dotted with a largish sphere of condensed shrimp broth that is to be macerated in the bowl to create this explosive flavor bomb. An unusual touch that begs for another bite. Continue reading →

Stephan Pyles Stampede 66 has already created a lot of interest among Dallas diners. There is going to be even more now that the restaurant has introduced “Sunday Supper” where we were invited media. I predict that this seating is going to prove as popular with Dallas as Sunday brunch. The basic idea is that there is a set menu, live music, and a fixed price for food (a regular bar menu is also available) of $35 for adults and $20 for children.

The helpings are large enough that you are actually getting two meals for the price of one (we took Monday lunch and dinner home!) so this is an undiscovered bargain – even without considering the complimentary valet parking. When you add in the fact that there is no traffic to contend with on Sunday nights, I see Stampede Sundays becoming a favorite with Uptown, Downtown and Victory Park residents very soon. Continue reading →

Bobby Flay was in town this weekend to sign his 12th cookbook, Barbecue Addiction. While in town Flay paid a visit to his old pal Stephan Pyles at his new restaurant Stampede 66. You may recall that Flay worked for Pyles at Routh Street Café and Baby Routh under then exec chef Kevin Rathbun (brother of Kent). The staging was just before Flay opened his own restaurant, Mesa Grill in New York. Continue reading →